January 2012
5 posts
philipnight asked: So I've gotta know: have ya seen the video for indie harpist Mikaela Davis’ new single yet? If not, you should check it out. Youtube: "Mikaela Davis Dreaming"
“David Joseph, who runs the British arm of Universal Music, says A&R men used...”
– Discovering musical talent: A new, improved hit machine | The Economist
1 tag
“‘…I just remembered that to-day’s my birthday.’ I was thirty....”
– F.Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (free eBook).
“Just this morning someone paid $10 for an album after Googling “lelia broussard...”
– Cheaper than Free « Bandcamp Blog (via yvynyl)
Go, Bandcamp, go. (via rawkblog)
2012, the year of contrary awesome facts!
December 2011
10 posts
1 tag
Pitchfork Top 50 Albums of 2011, in US Sales
Fascinating to see the numbers but also shit-scary reading. Be curious if anyone has compiled similar for DiS’ top 50 in terms of UK or US sales?
perpetua:
Eric Harvey put this together earlier this month, after he and I got the idea to put this together last year. I’m reblogging again because some people have asked me about it, and because his version is weirdly difficult to find on...
seaninsound | This Is My Jam →
What’s your jam? I hear this awesome site is now outta beta…
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“Consensus is mendacious. A composite of multiple, often conflicting individual...”
– via The Mire » Suffering through suffrage: Compiling The Wire’s Rewind charts
I feel totally and utterly out-nerded by The Wire. Which is probably exactly as it should be. (My year-end list explanation is here and also a far shorter version here). Guess I should probably start reading The Wire...
Drowned in Sound's Albums of the Year: 5-1 →
A lorra words from me, hope you don’t dislike this year’s list (seems to be going down much better than any list I remember (so far)).
"A new way to distribute money to artists"
rawkblog:
I’ve been getting more and more emails about “innovative” start-ups promising new ways to pay bands: $1 a month subscriptions, charity methods, t-shirts, etc., but all of these are really creating new ways for middle men to profit off the backs of artists. (Not that journalists don’t, but we’re not taking a direct cut.)
You want to create a new way to distribute money to artists? Buy...
November 2011
5 posts
“…the music press is in danger of becoming a Hacienda-nostalgic version of...”
– via this brilliant ‘The Problem With Music Critics’ blog post by Eve Barlow, Deputy Production Editor, Q/MOJO/Empire/FHM.
As one of the few ‘younger voices’ for The Sunday Times, I feel like I should defend the publication (especially as I do try to include the sort of...
4 tags
“Information is cheap, but meaning is expensive. Where is the meaning?”
– George Dyson via Visual Storytelling: New Language for the Information Age | Brain Pickings
The Insider: The Stone Roses & The Resurrection... →
Another fantastic piece from DiS’ man on the inside of the music biz. A few concerned thoughts/reactions:
I’ve recently been pondering whether the record biz no longer investing as much in developing an artist - especially with regard to tour support, where labels helped to make up the shortfall for touring, especially when sending a band out to open for an act, and start to find a...
Rawktumblr: 14 Ways Music Blogs Could Be Useful... →
I’m all about number six: 14 Ways Music Blogs Could Be Useful Again
rawkblog:
6) Be a champion for bands
One thing blogs can do that other publications can’t: be geeks. If you think a band deserves more attention, post their single. Review their album. Do an interview with them. Post the video. Post the next video. Post the tour dates. Write about the album again two months later — you’re...
October 2011
6 posts
Review: Sleep ∞ Over - Forever →
Amazed I didn’t get any abuse for this review.
Just how Twin Peaks is this track?
And how lovely is this one?
“Having a bunch of cats around is good. If you’re feeling bad you just look at...”
– Bukowski on Cats via Rapper and Mystic: Two Sides of Charles Bukowski < PopMatters
September 2011
13 posts
“The value of your content will never entirely go away, but much more importantly...”
– SEO for Non-dicks - Matt Legend Gemmell
This is a really brilliant blog post on Search Engine Optimisation Optimization. I’ve never really wanted or really needed to care about gaming the system as DiS started 11 years ago, before people really knew what Google was. We’ve always been...
3 tags
“…the Shoreditch “tech scene”, in which nontrepreneurs stroll...”
– Andrew Orlowski via I saw Facebook’s music service 3 years ago. Done properly. • The Register
I realise the above barbed-thought applies to various friends and allies of mine but I tend to agree. There’s very little being done to truly help musicians and labels monetize their wares...
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"When journalists comb Twitter for sources or... →
6 tags
Vizualize.me →
A nice way of doing CVs. Sort of like turning yourself into an infographic.
Facebook Fail: Posting via Other Apps Can Cut... →
“Every time I complain that a blockbuster movie is directorially dumb, or...”
– Mark Kermode: How to make an intelligent blockbuster and not alienate people | Books | The Observer
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“A new generation, one that grew up with a data surplus, is coming along. To this...”
– Seth Godin - The Shower of Data Seth can be hit or miss. He’s all hit this week. This is spot on. (via kirklove)
12 tags
August 2011
13 posts
5 tags
Challenge 1: Visualize The Data →
Goto http://recordlabellove.com for more info…
recordlabellove:
For our first developer/hacker challenge, we’re tasking you with making sense of the huge volume of data we’ve compiled from the PIAS-distributed independent labels affected by the SonyDADC fire.
We’re looking for you to help make sense of the scale of this fire by visualising, mapping and/or creating a much more...
3 tags
Digital independence: Sean Adams of... →
Here's our spreadsheet so far -... →
recordlabellove:
Please let us know if you spot anything amiss in this spreadsheet or have any additional information which should be added.
The next phase will be to announce our developer contest to create apps, sites and services which will help the affected labels and assist consumers in exploring, understanding and purchasing in fun, informative and useful ways. Follow us to keep up to...
1 tag
YAARN: The Wild Redemption of The Icarus Line →
DiS-favourites return. And this Tumblr post is near-perfect…
yaarnfounders:
Welcome to Wildlife… The Icarus Line should, by all accounts, be dead and buried by now; the fallouts, the trauma, the broken record deals and the empty promises should have felled the band years ago. However, Joe Cardamone, a man with an Iggy dance and a velvet soul, is still clinging to the greasy pole of...
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The real reason Van Halen added the no brown M&M... →
david-noel:
Amazing.
See also: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/143/made-to-stick-the-telltale-brown-mampm.html
1 tag
“Social overload begets more social overload. In a room where everyone is...”
– Sharepocalypse Now: Why Social Media Overload Means New Opportunities for Startups
The biggest mission for all sites is to become a focussed place that (bravely/boldy) makes decisions on your behalf. Haven’t found many sites which show restraint and offer tip-of-the-iceberg insight, rather...
“We call ourselves a restartup”
– SoMa-Based StumbleUpon Provides a “Forward Button” for Discovery on the Internet | 7x7 (via david-noel)
I wonder if I can get away with that when we relaunch DiS in October for our 11th Anniversary? Stumbleupon is about the same age as DiS and we may only have half a million users,...